


Shine So Bright

by Luka z Rivii (wayward_dream)



Series: Lu's Bday Drabbles [6]
Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: (kinda) Happy Ending, Erevi is emotionally stunted, Jaskier is a romantic, Late night shenanigans, Light Angst, Minor Violence, My OC - Erevi, Nonbinary Character, Other, Sharing a Bed, Stargazing, They're a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23705356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_dream/pseuds/Luka%20z%20Rivii
Summary: Jaskier has a plan, but things...go a bit sideways.
Relationships: Geralt & Original Nonbinary Character, Jaskier | Dandelion & Original Character(s), Jaskier | Dandelion/Original Character(s)
Series: Lu's Bday Drabbles [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706101
Kudos: 6





	Shine So Bright

Erevi started awake at the sound of their door creaking open, hand sliding under their pillow and grasping the hilt of their dagger. Quiet footsteps crept across the room and Erevi waited patiently, keeping their breathing even and smooth. The instant a hand grasped their shoulder they grabbed the attached wrist and yanked, rolling as their assailant fell off balance so that they ended up on top of him, straddling his back grasping a fistful of his hair and holding their blade to his neck.

“What do you think you’re doing?” they hissed quietly, every muscle coiled and braced for a counter-attack that never came.

“Erevi, it’s me,” a familiar voice gasped out.

“Jaskier?” they demanded, releasing his hair and removing their dagger but staying on top of him, keeping him pinned. “What is the matter with you? I could have killed you.”

“I need your help,” he whispered, seeming far too comfortable and relaxed under them, not even struggling to free himself. Erevi felt their eyes narrow.

“It’s the middle of the night, Jaskier,” they hissed, sliding off of him and sitting next to him on the bed. Jaskier sat up and faced them, and they cursed that their night vision allowed them to clearly see his beseeching expression as he grasped their hand, squeezing.

“Please, Erevi?” he asked quietly, soft and earnest.

Erevi let loose an annoyed growl, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. “What do you need?” they asked warily, and absolutely did  _ not _ melt at the grin that lit Jaskier’s face.

“Come with me,” Jaskier said, tugging their hand. Erevi reluctantly allowed it, quickly slipping their boots on and tying their cloak around their shoulders.

“This had better be important,” they muttered as they followed him down the stairs of the inn and out the back door. “There’s a curfew on the town for a reason, you know.”

“We’ll be fine. Don’t you trust me?”

Erevi made a face when Jaskier grinned over his shoulder at them. “About as far as I can throw you.” Erevi grabbed the back of his tunic and jerked him back into the shadows as a pair of guards marched back. “Pay  _ attention,” _ they hissed at him, releasing his shirt.

Jaskier chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry, kitten. Thanks for having my back.”

Erevi bristled. “How many times have I told you not to call me that?” they muttered, peering around the corner before waving Jaskier ahead.

“Say it all you want, I’ll still call you that.” Jaskier grabbed their hand and darted across the street. He tried to scramble up over the gate and Erevi sighed, linking their hands and crouching slightly.

“I’ll boost you up,” they grumbled, and Jaskier grinned, putting his foot in their hand, yelping as Erevi boosted him up and over the top before jumping smoothly and vaulting over the top, landing neatly on the other side with their legs bent. Jaskier landed far less gracefully on his ass with a groan and Erevi hushed him, pressing into the shadows of the gate as a guard called, “Who’s there?” A light shone back and forth and Erevi pressed in tight against Jaskier, wrapping their cloak over them to help them blend with the shadows. It created a dark, intimate space and Erevi tried to ignore how warm Jaskier felt pressed against them, how they could feel his heart hammering in his chest. When the guard moved away, muttering under his breath, they were quick to step away.

“Where are we going, Jaskier?” they demanded, crossing their arms.

“We’re almost there,” he promised, offering his hand. Erevi silently raised an eyebrow, just staring at him until he rolled his eyes. “Always so prickly. Come on.” He strolled off, linking his arms behind his head and humming under his breath. Casting a glance heavenward and praying for patience, Erevi trudged after him. They walked mostly in silence, Jaskier glancing back every now and then to make sure Erevi was still there.

They raised an eyebrow when he stepped off the path into the woods, and considered going back. But as irritating as the bard could be, they didn’t feel comfortable leaving him out on his own, so they followed him into the thicket. Jaskier finally paused and turned to face them, eyes shining as he beckoned them forward. Erevi went to stand by him and peered at the little clearing he’d led them to. It was a lake, the moonlight and the stars making the surface glitter like diamonds, the shore scattered with wildflowers that seemed to capture and reflect the moonbeams so everything had a hazy, dreamlike iridescence.

“Why are we here, Jaskier?” they asked quietly.

“Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” he asked just as softly. Glancing to the side, Erevi saw that he had his head tilted back to look up at the stars, and they shone brilliantly in his eyes, his skin as fair as the moon.

Erevi swallowed and forced their gaze away. “No, I don’t suppose I have,” they murmured. Jaskier went and sat in the grass and Erevi followed, wondering if this was perhaps a dream and they hadn’t woken up after all. Jaskier leaned back with his hands in the grass behind him, legs spread out; Erevi sat criss cross beside him. Jaskier watched the stars and Erevi watched the ripple of the lake and it was…..serene. Erevi could feel themselves relaxing.

“Worth breaking curfew for?” Jaskier teased, poking their arm lightly. Erevi swatted his hand away.

“Don’t push your luck, bard,” they murmured. Jaskier just chuckled and laid back in the grass. After a moment, Erevi joined him. “Sometimes, I can almost understand why you chose to be a poet,” they said quietly. Jaskier sat up on his elbows to look at them and Erevi kept their gaze straight up, not ready to meet his eyes again just yet. The peace was too….intimate, too fragile; it could shatter apart like a soap bubble at any moment.

After a few quiet moments Jaskier spoke. “Did anyone ever teach you the constellations?” he asked. Erevi shook their head, and Jaskier traced them in the sky as he told them the stories. Erevi forgot, sometimes, that he was Oxford-educated and hiding a sharp intellect behind the insipid facade he presented to the world. It was an uncomfortable reminder of how similar they were, both him and Erevi hiding from the world and yet….comfortable being themselves, when they were alone together.

Erevi sat up abruptly.

“Vi?” Jaskier asked, startled and reaching for them. “What’s--?”

“It’s late,” they interrupted, scrambling to their feet. “We should get back.”

“Erevi--” Jaskier spoke in a soft, coaxing voice, and Erevi shook their head. It was too close, too  _ much. _

“We need to get back,” they muttered, starting to walk. They heard Jaskier sigh quietly behind them, but then his soft footsteps were following. The silence between them was different now, charged with near-palpable tension.

When they made it to the gate Erevi paused, grabbing Jaskier’s arm to stop him.

“The guards are patrolling,” Erevi cursed. “We can’t get caught.”

“So we won’t get caught,” Jaskier spoke with confidence. Erevi shot him a scathing look and he offered a bittersweet smile. “You do this all the time, why shouldn’t I trust in your abilities?”

Erevi blinked, nonplussed. They didn’t have a good response for that, so they shook their head and shrugged off their cloak. “Wear this,” they told him. “You stand out more than I do, it will help you stay hidden.” They held on when he grasped it, looking stern when he met their eyes. “This is a loan. I will be wanting my cloak back afterwards.”

Jaskier just rolled his eyes and tugged, pulling it on and raising the hood. “How does it look?” he asked, spreading his arms out. Erevi surveyed him, ignoring the way their heart thumped. It looked unfairly good on him, but they weren’t about to say that.

“It’ll do,” they nodded. “Come on.” Erevi crouched down and Jaskier followed suit. They darted between the trees, waiting until the patrol passed before making a break for the gate. Erevi boosted Jaskier up again, grasping his hand when he reached down to help them up. They paused at the top of the gate, balancing and checking that the coast was clear. Erevi nodded and they dropped down.

Erevi froze at the sound of fabric tearing and spun around. Jaskier looked at them with wide eyes, caught on his tip-toes. The end of the cloak had snagged on the gate and was near-strangling him. Cursing, Erevi darted back to him, slipping out their dagger and cutting it away from him. Jaskier collapsed with a cough, clutching his throat. Erevi stowed their dagger and knelt by him, hesitantly resting a hand on his back, about to ask if he was okay.

“Freeze!” a voice yelled and Erevi swore, looking at Jaskier, who stared at them with all the color drained from his face.

“Can you run?” they hissed. Jaskier coughed again and nodded, so Erevi yanked him to his feet and together they bolted.

“Stop!” the guard called after them. The sound of many heavy steps pursuing only urged Erevi faster, heart racing as they pushed ahead.

Jaskier went down with a cry and Erevi spun around, eyes narrowing to slits when they saw a guard pinning Jaskier to the ground with his arm wrenched back. They had a split-second to decide - keep going, or turn back - but then they locked eyes with Jaskier, and he jerked his head, urging them to keep running.

Erevi was moving without conscious thought, closing in with the guard and kicking him in the face, knocking him back with a yell of pain. Erevi landed in a crouch in front of Jaskier, dagger in their hand though they didn’t recall drawing it.

“Erevi,” Jaskier gasped but Erevi couldn’t spare him a glance, the other guards had caught up and were drawing their swords. Erevi drew their other dagger, eyes narrowing.

“Stand down,” the guard Erevi had kicked warned, coming to his feet and spitting out a bit of blood. “Don’t make this worse than it already is.”

“Stay back,” Erevi growled, every muscle coiled and poised to strike.

“Erevi,” Jaskier said quietly, and they felt his hand on their ankle.

“I’ve faced worse odds,” Erevi muttered. Jaskier squeezed gently.

“Vi,” Jaskier coaxed, voice like velvet, gentle and soothing. Erevi hissed in irritation. “Erevi, we don’t want to do harm here, remember?” he said softly. “We’ll be okay, just relax.”

Erevi chanced a look at him, and the snarling curl of their lip slowly eased to a more normal frown. Huffing, they stowed their daggers with a scowl. The guards were on them in an instant, rope biting into their wrists as they scowled at Jaskier, who was also being tied up.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

* * *

“I hope you realize this is  _ entirely _ your fault,” Erevi muttered, pacing the length of their cell restlessly, the rattling of the chains around their ankles echoing harshly. The manacles were stirring old memories that they viciously tried to repress, leaving them on edge and shaky, lashing out to cover up how uneasy they were.

“I’m sorry,” Jaskier said in a meek voice.

“I should have left you behind,” they spat.

“...why didn’t you?” Jaskier asked softly. “You ruined your favorite cloak for me--”

“Cloaks are replaceable,” Erevi muttered. Each breath rattled in their lungs, shallow and ragged. They felt like they were going mad.

“And I’m not? Is that why you came back for me when I got caught?”

“What does it  _ matter, _ Jaskier?” they demanded, whirling to face him with a snarl.

Jaskier raised his hands soothingly. “I just...want to understand. You always say you don’t care, that you don’t like me, but…you helped me, and protected me.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” they muttered, finally sitting on the cell floor leaning against the wall opposite Jaskier and hugging their legs to their chest. “We got arrested--”

“My fault,” Jaskier interrupted, earning him a glare that he ignored. “I got caught, and you gave yourself up to help me. You didn’t have to come back, and you certainly didn’t have to listen to me when I asked you to stand down.” He offered a tentative smile and Erevi looked away, shoulders hunching. “Erevi?”

“Don’t,” they muttered.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’m  _ fine,” _ they hissed, every muscle going rigid.

“You’re clearly not. You always have a temper, but this is….different. You’re not angry, you’re scared,” he realized, studying their hunched-in posture. “What is it?”

Erevi glared at him. “I told you I’m fine. Leave me alone.”

“Why would I do that?” Jaskier tried to scoot over but his chains kept him restricted to the wall. He looked pained, being unable to reach out to them.

“Because it’s none of your business.” They shifted their glare to the wall.

They could feel Jaskier studying them. “Is it the chains?” he asked after a moment. Erevi tensed. “Are they hurting you?”

“No,” Erevi muttered. “This is hardly the first time I’ve been shackled.”

“Erevi, you’re shaking,” Jaskier said softly. Erevi realized he was right and squeezed their eyes shut, swearing under their breath. “Talk to me. Maybe it would help.”

“Talking is  _ your _ thing, not mine,” they huffed. “You talk, if you’re so determined.” They shot him a challenging look and he paused, pursing his lips.

“What do you want me to talk about?” he asked.

“I don’t--” Erevi exhaled harshly, rubbing a hand over their face. “Why did you take me there, last night? What was the point?”

“It was pretty, and I wanted someone to share it with.” Jaskier shrugged, looking tired and a bit ragged around the edges. “And….I don’t think you’ve had the chance to see many beautiful things in your life. Did...didn’t you like it?” he asked hesitantly. Erevi stared at him for a long moment, remembering how the stars had reflected in his eyes as brilliantly as they had on the surface of the lake.

They shifted their gaze away, shrugging one shoulder. “It was pretty. It was...nice,” they admitted reluctantly.

They could hear the smile in Jaskier’s voice as he replied. “I’m glad you thought so. Would you...want to do it again sometime? Without the getting-arrested-afterwards bit, obviously.”

He sounded a bit nervous and Erevi felt their stomach twist nervously. They were spared having to answer by the sound of approaching boots echoing on the stones. Erevi sprang to their feet and went to stand by the bars of the cell.

“Geralt,” they said with quiet relief. He watched the two of them with disapproval in his amber eyes.

“What happened?” he asked flatly.

“It was my fault,” Jaskier piped up before Erevi could reply. “I wanted to show Erevi something, they didn’t know--”

“Are either of you hurt?” Geralt interrupted. Erevi shook their head, uncomfortable with how Geralt was studying them, undoubtedly seeing the fine tremors shaking their frame and how tense they were. He cocked his head and Erevi shook their head silently. “Jaskier?” Geralt shifted his gaze away.

“I’m fine,” Jaskier said in a small voice. “What’s going to happen to us?”

“I finished my job, and bartered for your release as part of my payment,” Geralt said flatly. “You two are free to go.” He dug a key out of his pocket and opened the cell.

“Oh thank the gods,” Jaskier groaned. Erevi silently held out their wrists and Geralt unlocked their manacles, crouching to unlock their ankles as well. Erevi darted out of the cell as soon as they were freed, closing their eyes and sighing in giddy relief. They dimly overheard Geralt and Jaskier murmuring to each other, but decided not to listen in, focusing instead on steadying their breathing and stopping themself from shaking.

Erevi flinched when a hand rested on their back between their shoulders, jerking away.

“Easy,” Jaskier murmured, concern evident in his eyes as he looked at them, hands raised placatingly, “it’s just me.”

Erevi took a deep breath. “Let’s get out of here.”

* * *

The walk back to the inn was a quiet affair. Erevi hung back from Geralt and Jaskier, who talked quietly as they walked. Erevi only stirred when Geralt parted ways. Furrowing their brows, Erevi glanced at Jaskier questioningly.

“He said we should go rest,” Jaskier shrugged. “He’s going to go gather supplies at the market so we’ll be ready to leave tomorrow.”

Rest did sound nice. Erevi nodded and continued walking. Jaskier fell into step with them.

“Erevi?” he asked quietly.

Erevi rubbed a hand over their face tiredly. “Can we not do this?” they asked, voice uncharacteristically soft and small. They felt his eyes studying them, but kept their gaze cast down.

“Alright,” Jaskier agreed reluctantly. “But, um, Geralt took the key to our room--”

“You can sleep in mine,” Erevi muttered.

“Right….thanks,” Jaskier said softly. Erevi shrugged, and they lapsed into silence. It wasn’t as tense as last night, but it was still heavy. They trudged up to Erevi’s room and Erevi kicked their boots off and collapsed face down on the bed with a groan. After a few moments they turned their face to see Jaskier dithering in the doorway.

“Close the door,” they grumbled, and Jaskier jumped.

“Right,” he muttered, stepping in and pulling it shut behind him. He turned the lock and sat down to pull his boots off. Erevi reluctantly sat up to pull their tunic off, leaving them in just their undershirt and breeches. They laid down on the side of the bed nearest the wall, listening to Jaskier quietly puttering around. The floor creaked quietly and Erevi rolled over, propping up on an elbow to see Jaskier laying on the hearth by the fireplace.

“What are you doing?” they demanded wearily. Jaskier jumped again.

“I, uh, I didn’t want to presume--”

“You’re going to sleep on the floor?” Erevi raised an eyebrow.

“It’s fine, I can sleep here, or perhaps I could squeeze onto the couch--”

“Jaskier.” Blue eyes flitted uncertainly to meet theirs. “You’ve seen me undressed as a man and you’ve fucked me as a woman. I think we can handle sharing a bed. Just….get over here.”

“Are you sure--?”

“Just come lay down before I change my mind,” they muttered, laying back down. It was silent for a few moments before the floorboards creaked. The bed dipped and Jaskier eased under the covers. The bed was big enough, but it was a bit of a tight fit, not much space left between them.

“Is this okay?” Jaskier asked quietly.

“It’s not the first time we’ve shared a bed; don’t be so skittish.”

“Yes, but--”

“Jaskier. I’m tired.”

Jaskier swallowed. “Right….I’m sorry.”

Erevi rolled to face him. “I’m not angry with you. I’m just….tired.”

Blue eyes studied their face intently. He reached out slowly, giving them time to pull away if they wanted, but they kept still, watching him neutrally as he smoothed a stray curl off their forehead before skimming his fingertips down the side of their face. “Promise?”

“I promise.” Jaskier froze when Erevi slid in close, until they were resting against his chest.

“What are you--?” he asked in a raspy voice.

“Didn’t want to be at the edge. ‘S not a big deal,” Erevi muttered, their breath fanning over Jaskier’s skin as they spoke. He swallowed, repressing a shiver. “Now go to sleep.”

Jaskier bit his lip. “Right….good night, Erevi.”

“Good night.” Erevi nuzzled into their pillow and shut their eyes. Jaskier laid awake for a long time, watching them go loose and relaxed as sleep took them. He carefully slid an arm around their waist, smiling faintly as they sighed in their sleep and nuzzled into him.

His plan hadn’t gone exactly as he’d intended, but still, he was pretty happy with this outcome.


End file.
